FROM TflE NOSTRIL OF A HORSE. 423 
means to be employed, and as the horse was useless as he was, 
I determined on that measure; and accordingly, on the 1st ot 
March, having previously thrown him, I commenced the opera¬ 
tion, by making an incision about four inches in length along the 
edge of the nasal bone: I then made a second incision, two 
inches and a half long, in a transverse direction from the superior 
extremity of the former downwards ; and by dissecting back the 
flap thus formed, a large portion of the side of the tumour, which 
projected through the aperture between the nasal and superior 
maxillary bones, was exposed to view. With a chisel and a small 
mallet I was then enabled to remove, at first, about two thirds of 
the tumour in one mass, and afterwards the cavity was entirely 
cleared of every particle of the morbid growth, in small and de¬ 
tached pieces, by the same instruments. The operation was ne¬ 
cessarily long;, and attended with great loss of blood, and the 
horse was much exhausted on rising; however, in a few hours 
he completely rallied. The incisions were allowed to remain 
open, to favour the exit of coagula or any loose pieces of bone 
that might be remaining. Frequent fomentations and syring¬ 
ing the cavity of the nostril with a weak solution of the chloride 
of soda, formed the principal part of the subsequent treatment, 
excepting at the end of ten days, when the edges of the wound 
were pared off, and three sutures with adhesive plaisters were 
applied to bring the parts together. The horse was perfectly 
well at the end of six weeks, and at that time quitted my stables. 
He has been ridden constantly as a hack since that time, and is 
now perfectly clear from any impediment in his breathing, and 
also free from the least deformity. 
The tumour, when examined, was of a conical form ; the 
broadest part at the base, where it measured six inches in cir¬ 
cumference ; in length it was five inches; the internal structure 
was cancellated and spongy; the surfaces, particularly at the 
base and apex, were of a much firmer and denser texture. 
Upon reviewing the particular points of the foregoing case, the 
following considerations present themselves ; and any of your 
readers, whose experience in veterinary surgery qualifies them to 
the task, would be conferring a favour by replying to them : — 
Are such diseases of the bones to be considered as arising 
from inflammation or other common causes ? or are they to be 
classed with the disease which, in the human subject, is desig¬ 
nated osteo-sarcoma, and which is always considered most malig¬ 
nant and fatal ? 
And what forms of disease is the horse liable to which assimi¬ 
late with those affections in the human subject that are classed 
as cancerous ? 
